This is Halloween
by ImmortalHeartofFlame
Summary: Ichabod Crane is still learning about customs in our time. Halloween is yet another custom that Abbie has to introduce him to, whether he likes it or not.


_Hi people! I love this show and I think Ichabod and Abbie would make an awesome couple, which is why I wrote this story. Plus it's perfect for Halloween coming up soon. Hope you like it!_

* * *

This is Halloween

Ichabod stared at the tiny triangle of candy he held between his thumb and forefinger. "I don't see any resemblance to corn in this, let alone candy." Abbie took another piece from the bag and popped it into her mouth absently as she examined the documents on her desk.

"Well that's what it is." she responded, not looking up from her papers. She jumped when he abruptly grabbed the bag. "Hey!"

He ignored her protest, examining the ingredients section. "The only corn I see on here is in the phrase 'high fructose corn syrup' among other things I cannot understand." He looked at the bag's contents in disgust. "These things cannot be healthy for having so many chemicals." Pursing her lips in annoyance, Abbie snatched the bag out of his hand.

"Then don't eat any." Just then, the police chief walked over and handed each of them a white envelope with their name on it.

"What is this?" asked Ichabod, eyeing it curiously.

"My personal invites to this year's Halloween party, and I do expect both of you there despite the weirdness going on in this town. We're going to have a nice, _normal_ celebration."

"Wait, do you mean All Hallows Eve?" asked Ichabod, his eyes widening in shock.

"Uh, yeah. Lieutenant Mills can explain it to you." he replied, turning and walking away. Ichabod turned to Abbie.

"You did not tell me it was All Hallows Eve."

She organized all her documents and shoved them into her desk before getting up. The day was coming to an end and they needed to get ready. "Well, yeah, why do you think I was eating the candy corn?" He gave her a blank look, then she remembered who she was talking to. "Uh, yeah, it's All Hallows Eve, but these days we call it Halloween. The other one's a bit of mouthful." She pulled on her jacket and headed out the door, Ichabod following closely.

"I do not understand. In my time, All Hallows Eve was something to be feared, yet now it is celebrated?" he asked in tone of astonishment as they got in her police cruiser.

Abbie started the car. "Yep, and we've got to get you a costume." She looked him over before backing out. "The eighteen hundreds look is getting a little old."

* * *

Back at his apartment, Ichabod stared at the costume laying across his bed. Abbie had picked it out for him, insisting that it would be perfect for him. _She has quite a sense of humor, doesn't she? _he thought to himself, reaching down to pick up the white wig at the very top of the bed. "She really expects me to dress as General George Washington? I can never live up that man's greatness."

Just then, there was a light knock at the door. It must've been her, come to fetch him though she was an hour early. She wasn't to pick him up until seven O' clock. He opened the door and was surprised to see a little boy of about twelve dressed as a zombie looking up at him, pumpkin-shaped bucket in hand. "Trick or treat!" exclaimed the boy, smiling eagerly.

"Pardon me?" asked Ichabod, eyeing the boy's costume strangely

"Trick or treat." repeated the boy, raising his bucket a little.

Ichabod was confused. "I'm sorry, are you asking me if I would prefer a trick or a treat?"

The boy sighed, lowering his bucket and looking at the older man in frustration. "Do you have any candy or not?"

"Um, no I'm afraid I don't."

"Ok." he replied disappointedly, turning to go.

"Hey!" said Abbie, meeting the boy halfway down the steps, having just arrived. The boy looked up curiously at her smiling face. "Don't mind him. He's a bit of a Halloween scrooge. Want a tootsie pop?" She held said tootsie pop out to him.

"Thanks!" the boy cried, smile returning. He took the piece of candy, stuck his tongue out at Ichabod, who stood in the doorway behind him watching the exchange, and ran the rest of the way down from the apartment. Abbie walked up to him, chuckling.

"Boy, you certainly have a way with kids."

"He was asking me if I..." He trailed off when he noticed what Abbie was wearing. A long white dress hugged her thin figure and flared out around her ankles. A grayish white tiara with a veil attached was perched on her head and her dark hair was tied up in a bun at the back. "Abbie, you're...you're..."

"Terrible, I know. I've never been good at looking scary. I'm supposed to be a dead bride." She pointed to her left cheek where a thin line of black stitches was painted on. She eyed Ichabod's usual clothes with distaste. "You didn't put your costume on yet?"

Ichabod recovered himself. "I haven't gotten around to it, but I must say, you have a strange sense of humor."

Abbie smirked. "I know. Now put it on, and meet me out here when you're done." Without waiting for a response, she turned and made her way down to the car.

* * *

The party took place at the chief's house. Everyone from work was there, as well as people from the chief's own family. He greeted Ichabod and Abbie at the door, chuckling at Ichabod's costume. The two wandered through the crowd, Abbie doing most of the mingling while Ichabod took in his surroundings in wonder. Everyone was in costume of course, some scarier than others. Fast-paced dance music played through speakers set up around the house and decorative orange lights in the shapes of little pumpkins hung from the ceiling. A table was set up with jugs of different flavors of punch, stacks of plastic cups, and platters and bowls of snacks and sweets. Meanwhile, the crowd pressed in around him. Ichabod felt overwhelmed. Leaning over to Abbie, he said over the music, "I'm going to wait outside for a bit if it's all the same to you." and made his way back through the crowd to the front door. Once outside, he breathed in a huge gulp of the cool night air. There were decorations out here too. More pumpkin lights and fake cobwebs.

"Hey Krane, you alright?" asked Abbie, coming outside and closing the door behind her so that the noise and music were muted.

He turned to her. "Yes, I'm fine. I just don't think parties in this time are really...something I could get used to." He looked out into the dark street, leaning on the porch banister. Abbie leaned next to him.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I'm not much for them myself, but the chief insists." They both stared out into the night in companionable silence. Ichabod looked at her out the corner of his eye, admiring how the orange light from the decorations played on her dark skin.

"Abbie, you look...quite lovely tonight." said Ichabod after a moment, turning to face her.

Abbie looked at him and smiled. "Why, thank you. The stitches don't ruin it?"

He shook his head. "No. In fact, I can barely see them." he answered. In one burst of courage, he leaned down and kissed her on the cheek, right where the stitches were. Abbie gasped and he leaned away again, embarrassed at acting so foolishly. "My apologies." He looked away.

"Ichabod?" said Abbie after a minute. He looked to her in surprise. She almost never called him by his first name. She was smiling at him with warmth. "No apologies necessary." Surprising him yet again, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his, grabbing his shoulders with both hands. At first caught off guard, he relaxed and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer. They stayed like that for some time before the door opened and the police chief poked his head out.

"Holy mother of God!" he cried in shock. The two broke apart, both of their faces turning shades of red. "Um...if you two need more private time, I'll leave you alone. Just thought I'd let you know that we've got a conga line going in here if you want to join in."

For some reason, Abbie burst out laughing at this and Ichabod hesitantly joined in. "Yeah...yeah sounds good." She took Ichabod's hand firmly and started pulling him inside.

"Uh, Abbie, what happened between us-"

"We'll talk about that later." she said, cutting him off. "For now, let's conga." They spent the rest of the night enjoying the party, but Ichabod couldn't help thinking about that kiss. Was it real, or some sort of Halloween tradition he wasn't aware of?

He couldn't be sure of anything in this time.

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_Yay! I hope people liked this. Please review, and thanks for reading!_


End file.
